Out Squatchin'
by Kyouryoku Senshi
Summary: Written for the Nursery Files' First Halloween With You Challenge. Mulder and Scully's first Halloween with their daughter.


Written for the Nursery Files' First Halloween With You Challenge. Mulder and Scully's first Halloween with their daughter.

Many thanks for MonikaFileFan for putting up with me and beta-ing my pile of fanfic.

Just over two weeks marked the permanent change in the Scully-Mulder household. Katherine Lily Scully-Mulder had been born on October 13th, 2018 at nine forty in the evening after just a few hours of labor. When Scully promised she'd make his birthday surprise up to him, he assured her that this was the best present he ever received. He had just about everything he could ever hope for. His beautiful wife, a second impossible miracle and their son who dropped by periodically to assure them he was safe. Jackson wanted his independence, which was to be expected for a seventeen-year-old as much as they worried for him. "You have to worry about her now," he'd insisted shortly after seeing his baby sister for the first time.

They were adjusting as well as to be expected for being two new parents in their fifties. Although Scully had done this before, it was so far removed and for such a short time that they found themselves learning together.

Scully hadn't left the house since they had returned from the hospital, something Mulder knew must be driving her crazy. The first night home was the most challenging., Mulder had made close to half a dozen trips to Target, for items they didn't know they had needed. He supposed it was true what they said that you can never be entirely prepared for a baby. Scully had remarked on how many different things babies seemed to need nowadays. She had been lucky to have her mother's help the first time. He frowned, knowing how heavily her mother's absence weighed on her.

In the first week, she had suffered from engorgement as her milk came in. Her breasts were tender and painful and he couldn't stand seeing her in pain. There was a newfound respect for Scully as he watched her breastfeed Katie at least once every 2-3 hours. If she slept too long, she had ordered him to wake her. Slowly, they fell into a routine of sorts. Scully would feed the baby while he worked on his burping techniques...which he had just about mastered. Then, he would change and try to soothe her while letting Scully rest. Exhausting didn't even begin to describe it. They were lucky to have Monica come over a few times a week to help with groceries and cooking, but she and John were expecting their own child in a matter of months. It's funny what life throws at you. He smiled at that thought. At least Katie would have a friend to play with. An unexpected melancholy settled over him as he thought about how few relatives this child would have. He only hoped that he and Scully were enough. The love they felt for her was the equivalent to the strength of a thousand suns.

"Hey Scully, you know what tomorrow is right?"

He turned towards Scully, who was feeding their daughter on the couch with expert care. Despite the pain she had experienced up until a few days ago, she was a natural at this. She looked up as the baby sucked hungrily. Normally, if anyone was over, she would use a small blanket to afford them some discretion. As Scully gently smoothed her finger over daughter's cheek, she looked up.

"How could I forget?"

"Well, I was thinking..."

"Mulder, no. No Sasquatch hunting. Or Squatching...whatever it is you call it."

"Oh come on, Scully. You and munchkin have been cooped up in this house for the past two weeks...it's good to get out of the house once in a while, remember?"

Scully narrowed her eyes. "Mulder, she's two weeks old. She's too young!"

"I'm kidding, Scully. But maybe we could take a drive to the next town over and see the houses and kids trick or treating."

Scully sighed, considering. "An hour tops. Seeing as your daughter inherited your appetite and won't go more than two hours before demanding a feeding."

"Deal," he grinned.

Scully couldn't help but smile. Mulder's excitement was contagious.

Just then, the baby unlatched from her nipple with a contented sigh.

As Scully reached for the burp cloth across from her, Mulder reached it first, draping it over his shoulder.

"Here, let me do it," he insisted.

Scully smiled in thanks as she shifted the baby's weight in her arms while cradling her head, and passed her into her father's waiting arms.

She started to button her blouse as Mulder gently patted his daughter's back the way she taught him. He had been anxious in the weeks preceding her birth about his ability catch on quickly to the basics of childcare and fatherhood, yet in just a few days he managed to properly learn how to burp their daughter. He was determined to do this. While Scully bonded with their daughter as she breastfed, he took burping and diaper duty. As much as he wanted to play a role in feeding their daughter, it was too soon. Introducing a bottle this early could cause something called "nipple confusion" Scully had said. In a few months, she would be able to pump so he could assist with the task.

They never did have many trick or treaters, so they often left a bowl of candy out for the kids that traveled the distance to their property. That was back when Scully was working long shifts and he hadn't been out of the woods just yet. And when he was, just too depressed to hand out candy. Things were definitely going to be different this year.

The following day, Mulder pulled out his swamp monster costume with much satisfaction. Mulder also bought a tiny newborn pumpkin outfit for Katie. Unbeknownst to Scully, he also bought an infant-sized alien costume, but Kit wouldn't be quite big enough for that until next year.

In between diaper changes and other household duties, Mulder got to work on carving an X in one of the pumpkins he managed to snag on his last trip to the grocery store. The other two he used to carve the faces of a fox and a rabbit and he was pretty impressed with the intricacies of his handiwork...until the knife slipped from his right hand and came right down on the index finger of his left hand.

"OW...SHIT!"

Scully rushed down the stairs impressively quick for a woman just over two weeks postpartum.

"Mulder? What happened?!"

He was guiltily holding his bleeding index finger in his hands that was bundled with paper towels. "I just cut myself," he grumbled. "No big deal."

She sighed as she moved towards him and he reluctantly held out his hand towards her in embarrassment.

She gently unwrapped the towels to examine the wound before she quickly pressed them back down.

"It's not too deep, but you'll want to keep that compressed while I grab some medical supplies. I think you'll need one or two stitches."

Taking one glance at the carved pumpkins, she turned back towards him with a raised brow. Leave it to Mulder to have something like this resulting in him needing medical attention.

He smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

Scully couldn't help but smile as she surveyed his work. "For a man who terribly accident prone, it's not bad Mulder."

"Thanks, Doc. I'll take that as a compliment."

A few days ago, Mulder had managed to sharpen his photo taking skills by capturing pictures of his daughter inside of one of the larger ones he bought. While Scully was napping of course. Otherwise, she'd lose it over how much of an unnecessary mess it made, in her words only. He did his due diligence to clean up afterward and she'd forgive him once she saw the photos. He had made notes to send the image to Doggett and Reyes along with Skinner and Scully's brothers.

Mulder walked out onto the porch, gently rocking his daughter in his arms. He surveyed the pumpkins he assembled into an even row.

"What do you think, pumpkin? Do you think Mommy will like it?" he murmured as he shifted her in his arms.

She mewled in response as she shoved a tiny hand into her mouth.

"I thought so too."

Mulder turned, inhaling her fresh baby scent before kissing her downy head. She whimpered slightly.

He gently caressed her tiny arm. "Hey now, none of that. Let's try to let Mommy sleep a little longer, okay?"

As the sun began to sink deeper into the sky, Mulder began the difficult task of changing Katie's diaper and outfit. She had just been fed and they were ready to get out of the house even for just a little while. Scully was going crazy being cooped up in the house. He understood the importance of getting out once in a while, which was something he didn't appreciate before.

Scully watched Mulder put on his Sasquatch costume with a raised eyebrow as she held Katie in her arms. The baby was dressed in a simple pumpkin outfit...one of the few things a newborn would fit into. However, she knew Mulder was already making a list of costumes to get her as she got older.

"Come on Scully...you should dress up. It's Halloween. We do have plenty of costume "accessories", he said with a wiggle of his brow. You could be a sexy cop...doctor..."

"Save it, Mulder," Scully retorted as she moved toward the front door to settle the baby into the stroller, making sure she was adequately covered with blankets so she'd keep warm. Then she placed some supplies at the bottom.

"You should dress up, Scully. It's fun when was the last time you celebrated Halloween?"

"Honestly, Mulder? Not since I was grade school. I had more important things to worry about over the years."

"You're really no fun," he said as he moved past her to set out some candy, not that they got many trick or treaters anyways.

"Oh fine...but maybe when I don't feel so much like a cow. I need to be able to feed her and have something comfortable to nurse in."

"I'll hold you to that, G-woman."

As they left their house, Mulder felt fortunate to have paved the long stretch of their driveway in the months before the baby was born. He picked up the stroller despite the girth of his costume and slowly walked down the stairs.

The baby mewled and if Mulder didn't know any better, he'd say their daughter was excited by this venture as well.

About twenty minutes later, they approached the small residential area nearest to them and started to see kids in various costumes since the sun had dipped into the sky. Some young, some older.

Parents, children, and siblings all dressed up. They couldn't help but look down at the small pumpkin inside the stroller whose sleepy eyes started to drift closed.

Looking up, Scully let out an audible gasp at the sight of a clown that looked eerily similar to Pennywise with its sharp toothy grin.

Mulder, clad in the Sasquatch costume, looked from her to the creepy clown that had passed them by. Had to be a parent or a teenager. "Relax, Scully."

"I hate clowns," she exclaimed as she watched Mulder push the stroller next to her. "You know that."

They watched as the watched children shuffle along in their various costumes which seemed to consist mostly of superhero costumes, Disney, and horror.

Mulder was deep in thought as they continued their steady pace. "Soon, Scully…I'll be able to take the little bugger trick or treating and it won't stop there. We'll go on many adventures together. Sometimes with Mom and sometimes it'll be a Daddy-daughter date."

Scully rolled her eyes. "You will not be taking her on any trips into the forest, Mulder…" she warned.

Mulder looked down into the stroller as their daughter fussed. Scully paused for a moment and reached down to soothe her. She really did have the magic touch. Their daughter quieted down almost instantly.

"I promise she'll be just fine."

Scully said nothing as they started walking again, both admiring the intricate details their neighbors put on with the smokescreens and lighting.

Mulder's excitement was contagious and Scully knew he was dreaming about the day he would be able to take Katie trick or treating. She couldn't help but smile at the thought. She sighed with relief, getting out after being cooped up in the house for weeks was quite refreshing.

Mulder must have caught the grin on her face and smiled. "See I knew you'd enjoy getting out. You can tell me I'm right."

Scully shook her head as several trick or treaters rushed around them. "Fine."

The commotion caused the baby to stir, but thankfully she settled back into her slumber.

Mulder watched the children in various costumes going door to door and he thought back to the years he could remember fighting over candy with Samantha and teasing her about her choice of costumes. The years that followed were difficult with her absence. He never got a chance to take William trick or treating either.

Well, it was time to start some new traditions. Just as he turned towards Scully, he heard quick approaching footsteps from behind him and suddenly he felt a bony shoulder collide into his, knocking him off balance and startling Scully.

"Hey!" Mulder shouted in irritation as a lanky figure darted off ahead of him.

"Mulder, are you okay?" She asked, keeping one hand on the stroller and the other on his bicep.

Just then, the figure stopped ahead and turned towards him.

That familiar disturbing Cheshire Cat grin that had been permanently embedded in their memories had them shaken.

"Mr. Chuckleteeth? You gotta be fucking kidding me!" Scully said, flabbergasted.

"Scully," Mulder said, motioning towards the stroller.

"Sorry, but that...THING creeps me out."

The lanky figured turned towards them slowly, It's lanky tuxedoed figure unnerving them even further as it drew closer and lobbed its head.

Scully clutched the stroller tightly, though the baby was blissfully unaware of her surroundings. Mulder slipped his arm around Scully as the figure moved their hand toward the mask. Mulder and Scully exchanged looks as the figure began to remove it. Bracing themselves, they waited...until the mask revealed the familiar young man underneath. That lanky figure with shaggy brown hair and deep brown eyes was a welcome sight.

"Hey, Dana...Mulder."

"Jackson," they both breathed in unison.

"God, you scared us!" Scully exclaimed.

Mulder shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I knew it was him," he exclaimed proudly. "He has a knack for running into people, right?"

Jackson looked at Mulder in shock. "That's not true."

"Well...you did it when you...nevermind," he said suddenly. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Jackson retorted with an eye roll. "Getting candy."

"Of course," Scully said with a smile. Typical teenager. She refrained from lecturing him about brushing his teeth and sugar levels.

Jackson peered inside the stroller. "Wow, she's really getting bigger, huh?"

Scully looked down at the sleeping baby. "Yeah, uh, she is."

"When she gets older, we'll go Squatchin'."

Jackson shook his head as he held the mask in his hands. "Wait, what's Squatchin?"

A large grin spread across Mulder's face. "Well kid, if you'd like to come back with us, forever or as long you may like...I have a proposition for you."

"I'm listening…"

"Well, it starts with getting rid of THAT costume!" Mulder said as he reached forward to grab the mask from his hands.

"Hey!"

"Katie is never watching that show," Scully supplied. "Ever."

"Fine," Jackson said, crossing his arms in a way that brought a smile to Mulder's face.

"So tell me about this "Squatching"."

Mulder grinned as he reached to touch his shoulder. "If you think you've heard a scary story, just wait until you hear this."

Scully rolled her eyes. "Oh boy, it's going to be a long night."


End file.
